Toy automobile speed trap device

ABSTRACT

A toy trap device for toy cars consists primarily of a hollow box like affair to which toy automobiles may be propelled. The device includes a ramp adjacent to a door with a pair of archways for the entrance of the cars and at the opposite end is a swing type door which is struck by a car passing through, will trigger to trap doors.

United States Patent 1191 Kirby [4 1 Feb. 5, 1974 TOY AUTOMOBILE SPEED TRAP DEVICE Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene 76 I t R 1 nven or gi fi 9 Ave Assistant Examiner-Robert F. Cutting Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Charles Hieken; Jerry [22] Filed: Apr. 26, 1972 Cohen 21 1 Appl. No.:247,589

[57] ABSTRACT [52] U.S. Cl 46/1 R, 273/86 B A toy trap device for toy cars consists primarily of a [51] lift. Cl A63h 33/00 hollow box like affair to which my automobiles may [58] held M Search 43/61; 46/1 R; 273/86 B be propelled. The device includes a ramp adjacent to a door with a pair of archways for the entrance of the [56] Referemes C'ted cars and at the opposite end is a swing type door UNITED STATES PATENTS which is struck by a car passing through, will trigger to 1,453,795 5 1923 Hovell 43/61 p doorsl,360,038 11/1920 Sichmeller 43/61 2,524,504 10 1950 Woolworth 43/61 8 Clam, 4 Drawing Figures A9 I '22 Z f f 4 I r 4. ZO J, z 7 ZZ 2 f 4 k /y/ 23-; //n7- 2/ '1 28 I i TOY AUTOMOBILE SPEED TRAP DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to traps, and more particularly to a toy automobile speed trap.

It is therefore the primary purpose of this invention to provide a speed trap for use with small toy automobiles.

Another object of this invention is to provide a speed trap device which will be of such structure, so as to be adaptable as a separate unit or used in conjunction with other units.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention, a speed trap device comprises a hollow rectangular box having a base and a floatable lid with an attached platform at the base for use as a starting ramp, the ramp also serving as a means for connection with the tracks from existing automobile racing sets.

According to another aspect of the invention, the floating lid member carries a pair of projections for blocking the opening at the entrance, and a swinging striker plate is suspended from rod means extending the width of the interior of the box and serves as trigger means for the two trap doors which are attached by hinges outside of the archway exits which correspond to the front archway entrance openings.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide a toy automobile speed trap device which is simple in design, inexpensive to manufacture, rugged in construction, easy to use and efficient in operation.

These and other objects will be readily evident upon a study of the following specification and the accompanying drawing wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side view of the present invention shown in elevation and partly broken away;

FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

According to this invention, a toy automobile speed trap device is shown to include a flat rectangular base 11 having an extending ramp portion 12. Device 10 is provided with a vertical front end entrance wall 13 having a pair of archways 14 for the entrance of the toy vehicles and front walls 13 is hinged to a forward extension 12 of base 1 1 by means ofa pair of hinges 15. A vertical rear end exit wall 16 confronting the entrance wall is provided with a pair of archway openings 17 which are similar to and confront openings 14 of front wall 13 for the passage of the toy vehicles. The rear wall 16 is fixedly secured in a suitable manner (not shown) to vertical side walls 18. Fixedly secured within the upper extremities of rear wall 16 is a pair of spaced apart dowel rods 19 and fixedly secured to the base 11 on the interior of device 10, is a singular dowel rod 20, the dowel rods 19 and 20 being fixedly secured within an upper rectangular roof member 21 of device 10. A floatable lid 22 is providedwith a screw eye 23 to which is attached a nylon cord 24 which extends through opening 25 of member 21 for a purpose which hereinafter will be described.

Together, the walls, base and lid form an enclosure and the lid is floatable between a lower position cover- .ing the enclosure top and a raised position (shown in chain lines) clearing the enclosure top.

On the interior of device 10 is a swinging striker plate 26 which depends from rod 27 which is fixedly secured at each end to the device 10. Door 26 includes a plurality of spaced apart support members 27' which support plate 26 from rod 27.

It will be noted that swing door 26 is provided with archway openings 28 which are similar to archway openings 14 of front wall 13. A pair of trap doors 29 at the rear of device 10 are rotatably mounted at their lower ends to the rear end of base 11 by means of a pair of hinges 30. A pin 31 freely carried upon rod 27, extends outwards from rear wall 16 for a purpose which hereinafter will be described.

A headed screw fastener 32 also extends from rear wall 16 of device 10 so as to prevent the cord 24 from extending too far upon pin 31 during the operation of device 10.

It shall further be noted that the lid member 22 has fixedly secured to it, a pair of projections 33 for blocking the arched openings 14 of front wall 13.

The nylon cord 24 extends downward through notch 34 of member 21 and the looped end of cord 24 receives pin 31 extending outwards from the swing door 26. And the loop of the cord 24 extends down and around the connecting bar 33' of the trap doors 29. The line 24 is secured by being tied off at the center of the rear edge of base 11 Immediately above the pin 31 to which a loop 24 of cord 24 is attached, is the small fastener 32 which prevents a cord 24 from sliding too far rearwards on the pin 31.

In use, the operator lifts the cord 24 at the top of the floating lid 23 and thus lifts the lid 23 enough to reach inside of the device 10 so as to set the swinging striker plate 26. The cord 24 is shown for convenience of illustration only as being slack in FIG. 1. However, it will be understood that when the lid 22 is in the lower position the cord 24 is actually tensioned and actually passes along the top of roof 21 down through notch 34 and across the outside of rod 33' and down to base 1 1. When lid 22 is raised, cord 24 is then enabled to slack and this allows doors 29 and their interconnecting rod 33' to fall back.

It shall further be noted that this operation heretofore described, maybe performed from outside of the device 10 by means of a turn key (not shown). The operator then attaches the loop 24' of the cord 24 to the pin 31 to set the swinging striker plate 26. The double trap doors 29 are laid flat outside of the exit arches 17.

The small toy vehicles (one of which is indicated schematically at 9 in FIG. 1) are then set within elastic slings (not shown) at the front of device 10 which will provide propulsion for the vehicles. The elastic sling members are used in the event that device 10 is not being used with conventionally powered toy car sets. When the vehicles are released through the entrance opening 14 and either one does not exit through the opposite opening 17, the swing door will be triggered, thus trapping one or both vehicles inside of device 10.

What I now claim is:

1. Toy apparatus comprising an enclosure with confronting vertical end walls with confronting enclosure exit and enclosure entrance openings, respectively, in said confronting walls,

at least one door located outside said enclosure adjacent said exit wall the door being movable between an open position clear of said exit opening and a closed position blocking said exit opening,

a door mover operatively interconnected to said door for storing potential energy as the door is manually shifted from said closed position to said open position and for releasing energy to move said door from said open position to said closed position,

a lock for locking said door mover in the stored energy mode with said door open, and

trigger means for unlocking said locking means and comprising a striker plate located within the said enclosure adjacent said exit wall and an opening in the striker plate aligned with said exit opening.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim I, and further comprising a propellable object sized to pass through said entrance, exit and striker plate openings.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 and further comprising a base floor of said enclosure extending between said walls, and wherein said openings are all of the same size and form, and extend to a lower vertical edge of said end walls and striker plate.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3, and

wherein said door mover comprises a floatable enclosure lid movable between a lower position capping the enclosure and a raised position of stored potential energy clearing the enclosure top,

and a cord interconnected between said lid and said enclosure defining means. I

5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein said door mover comprises fixed roof structure supported above said enclosure by a sufficient distance to allow raising ofsaid lid for hand access to said striker plate via the enclosure top under the raised floatable lid,

said cord passes over said roof structure,

said striker plate is pivotally mounted from said exit wall at a top vertical edge of said plate, and

said lock comprises a movable pin interconnected with said striker plate and passing through said exit wall to engage the cord of said door mover to release said cord upon application of a force to said striker plate at the lower portion thereof...

6. Apparatus in accordance with claim 5 wherein a plurality of said entrance, exit and striker plate openings are provided,

said fixed roof structure comprises a pair of spaced dowels mounted on the exit wall and a single fixed dowel mounted adjacent the entrance end of the enclosure with the three dowels supporting said roof,

the roof has a central hole therein and an edge notch overlying said exit wall,

said door comprises a plurality of doors fitting over said exit openings and pivotably mounted from the base at the lower edge of said doors and having a door interconnecting rod above the lower edges of the doors,

said cord is connected at one end to a central portion of said lid and at an opposite end to said base and therebetween passing over the rod on a side of the rod away from the exit wall and through said notch and hole and a cord loop engageable by said pin to lock the lid in its raised position,

and wherein the lid is guidingly engaged by said dowel supports.

7. Apparatus in accordance with claim 6 wherein said entrance end dowel is within the enclosure adjacent the entrance wall between two entrance wall openings and is supported from the base,

said entrance wall is pivotable from the base about a lower edge thereof,

the base extends forwardly of the entrance wall location, and further comprising projections mounted on the underside of said lid and sized and positioned to block the entrance openings when the lid is lowered.

8. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said lock comprises a pin connected between said striker plate and door mover and passing through the exit wall,

said striker plate is pivotably mounted at an upper edge thereof from said exit wall and movable between a first position wherein the pin engages the door mover and a second position wherein the pin releases said door mover,

said door mover comprises a vertically movable enclosure lid, and

spaced vertical guide rods guidingly engage said lid. 

1. Toy apparatus comprising an enclosure with confronting vertical end walls with confronting enclosure exit and enclosure entrance openings, respectively, in said confronting walls, at least one door located outside said enclosure adjacent said exit wall the door being movable between an open position clear of said exit opening and a closed position blocking said exit opening, a door mover operatively interconnected to said door for storing potential energy as the door is manually shifted from said closed position to said open position and for releasing energy to move said door from said open position to said closed position, a lock for locking said door mover in the stored energy mode with said door open, and trigger means for unlocking said locking means and comprising a striker plate located within the said enclosure adjacent said exit wall and an opening in the stRiker plate aligned with said exit opening.
 2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, and further comprising a propellable object sized to pass through said entrance, exit and striker plate openings.
 3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 and further comprising a base floor of said enclosure extending between said walls, and wherein said openings are all of the same size and form, and extend to a lower vertical edge of said end walls and striker plate.
 4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3, and wherein said door mover comprises a floatable enclosure lid movable between a lower position capping the enclosure and a raised position of stored potential energy clearing the enclosure top, and a cord interconnected between said lid and said enclosure defining means.
 5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein said door mover comprises fixed roof structure supported above said enclosure by a sufficient distance to allow raising of said lid for hand access to said striker plate via the enclosure top under the raised floatable lid, said cord passes over said roof structure, said striker plate is pivotally mounted from said exit wall at a top vertical edge of said plate, and said lock comprises a movable pin interconnected with said striker plate and passing through said exit wall to engage the cord of said door mover to release said cord upon application of a force to said striker plate at the lower portion thereof.
 6. Apparatus in accordance with claim 5 wherein a plurality of said entrance, exit and striker plate openings are provided, said fixed roof structure comprises a pair of spaced dowels mounted on the exit wall and a single fixed dowel mounted adjacent the entrance end of the enclosure with the three dowels supporting said roof, the roof has a central hole therein and an edge notch overlying said exit wall, said door comprises a plurality of doors fitting over said exit openings and pivotably mounted from the base at the lower edge of said doors and having a door interconnecting rod above the lower edges of the doors, said cord is connected at one end to a central portion of said lid and at an opposite end to said base and therebetween passing over the rod on a side of the rod away from the exit wall and through said notch and hole and a cord loop engageable by said pin to lock the lid in its raised position, and wherein the lid is guidingly engaged by said dowel supports.
 7. Apparatus in accordance with claim 6 wherein said entrance end dowel is within the enclosure adjacent the entrance wall between two entrance wall openings and is supported from the base, said entrance wall is pivotable from the base about a lower edge thereof, the base extends forwardly of the entrance wall location, and further comprising projections mounted on the underside of said lid and sized and positioned to block the entrance openings when the lid is lowered.
 8. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said lock comprises a pin connected between said striker plate and door mover and passing through the exit wall, said striker plate is pivotably mounted at an upper edge thereof from said exit wall and movable between a first position wherein the pin engages the door mover and a second position wherein the pin releases said door mover, said door mover comprises a vertically movable enclosure lid, and spaced vertical guide rods guidingly engage said lid. 